By Dennis Asiimwe
David Lutalo’s latest single is a song called Yokoto. The song features a chap who goes by the handle ‘Pafect’, for no
apparent reason (there is rarely a reason in these situations).
Lutalo belongs to that generation that emerged when Kadongo Kamu died away as a music genre in
Uganda. There was a market for Luganda pop music, but something a little more relevant to a young,
modern, cosmopolitan audience that hankered for music that reflected their life experiences.
This audience has provided a ready market for people like Eddy Kenzo, and Geosteady, and are a formidable
lot because they are young, with reliable disposable income and form a significant percentage of urban and
peri-urban populations.
There are entire radio stations dedicated to them, while they also enjoy a unique hybrid world that somehow
merges traditional media (especially radio and television) with social media (think Facebook, WhatsApp and
TikTok).
It is within this world that Lutalo thrives – he’s cut a swath through the industry selling music with a bias for
romanticism towards this particular audience.
Yokoto sounds more like a street anthem than a love song, with its afro-pop grove and call-and-answer
format, but the song’s bio claims it’s a love song, so we will give them that.
Pafect lends the song some oomph, while Lutalo does his usual thing – it’s not the most memorable of songs, but it works at some level. I am pretty sure David Lutalo’s fans will love it – happily, that is not my problem.
